Emma Raducanu says she will be away from the tennis court “for the next few months” while she recovers from surgery on both wrists and one of her ankles.
In an Instagram post which included a photo of her in hospital with a cast on her right hand, Raducanu said she was to undergo a “minor procedure” on both hands to resolve longstanding injuries.
She added that she would have another “minor procedure” on her ankle. The 20-year-old explained that as a result, she will miss this summer’s tennis events, including the French Open and Wimbledon.
“It pains me that I will miss the summer events and I tried to downplay the issues, so I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you didn’t know the facts,” Raducanu wrote in a hand-written letter posted on Instagram.
Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open, has suffered a myriad of injuries over the past 18 months which have blighted her hopes of on-court success.
She suffered an ankle injury before the Australian Open earlier this year, while tonsillitis forced her to withdraw from the Austin Open in February.
Meanwhile, a recurring wrist injury, which hampered Raducanu last season, came back during the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round.
Last month, Raducanu lost in the first round of the Stuttgart Open in less than an hour.
Her performances have seen her slip down the world rankings, where she currently sits at No. 85, and the injury break means she is set to fall out of the top 100.
“It is safe to say the last 10 months have been difficult as I dealt with a recurring injury on a bone of both hands,” Raducanu said.
“I tried my best to manage the pain and play through it most of this year and end of last year by reducing practice load dramatically, missing weeks of training as well as cutting last season short to try heal it, unfortunately it’s not enough.”
The French Open begins on May 22 in Paris while Wimbledon begins on July 3 in London.
